


Tranquilize

by cheinsaw



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Established Relationship, F/F, Flashbacks, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, the tags make this look so bad but i just wanna be safe with those content warnings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-09
Updated: 2017-04-09
Packaged: 2018-10-16 16:45:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10575378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cheinsaw/pseuds/cheinsaw
Summary: Tenko has a trauma flashback. Himiko helps.





	

Himiko wakes in the middle of the night to a trembling beside her, Tenko shaking in her sleep and whimpering softly. "Tenko?" Himiko slurs. No response. Groggy, Himiko moves so she's flush against Tenko's back, spooning her and holding her close.

She doesn't allow herself to drift off again until she's sure Tenko's been freed from the nightmare. It's the least she can do.

"Did you sleep okay?" Himiko asks in the morning, and Tenko smiles and nods.

 

Himiko doesn't know what goes on inside Tenko's head when she gets like this, but she can guess, and it's not pretty. It can happen anytime: when they're on a date, when they're just talking, when they're with their other friends. Something will... get to Tenko, and she goes unresponsive. It's her eyes glazing over, or her suddenly stopping mid-sentence, or staring at nothing.

 _Flashback_. Himiko's read the word, the meaning, the definition, but she can't imagine what it must be like. One moment Tenko's there with her, and the next something's ripped her away, back into a memory of terror and pain.

(the smell of beer, the voice of a man. unwanted touches that make her body go rigid and her face go blank.)

Himiko's not sure what even happened this time, here in the school cafeteria—maybe it was a noise that set Tenko off, or something someone at another table said, or an uninvited memory making its way to the surface. It doesn't matter. What matters is that something is wrong.

"Tenko?" Himiko says, reaching for her girlfriend's hand. The second her fingertips brush Tenko's skin, Tenko lets out a wail and moves too fast, almost certainly bruising Himiko's wrist with the force of pushing her away.

"Tenko!"

"Stop," Tenko weakly begs.

"It's okay," Himiko tries to reassure her. "I'm Himiko. 'M not gonna hurt you."

She has never asked what happened to Tenko. She honestly doesn't care. All she knows is that it was awful awful awful and that it's the reason Tenko doesn't allow most people to touch her.

"It's Himiko," she repeats.

"Yumeno-san," Tenko mumbles, reverting back to the formality she used before they'd started dating. This happens sometimes. It is okay. At least Tenko is aware of who Himiko is.

"Uuu... can I help?" Himiko asks. If it were anyone else, she wouldn't care much, but she'd gladly use up all her energy to make sure Tenko's safe.

Tenko begins to rock slightly back and forth in her chair, fidgeting with her hands. "Tenko doesn't know."

"Do you want a distraction? Can I touch you?"

"No! ...No touching... please." Tenko squeezes her eyes shut. "Tenko w-wants to get out of here."

"Mmhm." Himiko scoots her chair back to stand up, and Tenko numbly follows. As an afterthought, Himiko extends her hand to Tenko, and to her relief Tenko takes it.

 

"'M bringing you to my room, okay?" Himiko says, wanting to make sure Tenko knows what's going on.

"Mmm," Tenko mumbles. She squeezes Himiko's fingers gently in reply. Himiko isn't sure what that means, but it's better than nothing, she supposes. Himiko unlocks her room without letting go of Tenko's hand, ignoring the fatigue creeping up on her. Tenko needs her. She'll just have to push through.

Once the door is locked behind them, Tenko curls into herself, sitting on the floor by Himiko's bed. She tugs at the heavy comforter until it comes free from the mattress, then wraps it around herself. Himiko kneels down in front of her, not wanting to cross any boundaries.

"Any better...?"

Tenko nods. "A bit..."

"D'you want me to stay with you?"

"Yes, please." Tenko draws the blanket around herself tighter. "Um, Tenko has a request..."

"Nhh?"

"Um, well, Tenko wants... Himiko to use her magic... If it's okay?"

"I can cast a protection spell," Himiko says.

"Okay..." Tenko says, closing her eyes. "Thank you."

Tenko is quiet while Himiko works, drawing a faint chalk circle around where Tenko sits. She rummages through her desk to find the perfect candle, then sets it on the floor on a little stand directly in front of Tenko. It's then that Tenko speaks again.

"Tenko is sorry for, for ruining today..."

"Didn't ruin anything," Himiko says, lighting the candle.

"T-Tenko just feels awful m-making Himiko take care of her like this when she, she can't even tell Himiko..."

Himiko pockets her matchbook, tossing the spent match away. "Tell me what?"

"What happened to Tenko," Tenko says quietly. "Why she... gets like this."

"Uuu... I don't mind. And you're not making me... I want to."

Tenko sniffles. "Thank you..."

"'S okay. ...Kiss?"

Tenko nods, wiping tears from her eyes. Himiko crawls towards her, careful not to disturb the circle around Tenko or the candle as she places a soft kiss to Tenko's lips.

 

Himiko wakes in the late afternoon to her face in Tenko's belly and Tenko's arms around her, holding her tight. Her body feels heavy and stiff—ah, she's on the floor, she realizes, her comforter half around her and the candle by her head long since burned out. "Tenko?" Himiko asks quietly. No response.

She wiggles up so she can see Tenko's face, slightly worried that Tenko is still upset from her flashback earlier. But now, Tenko looks calm in her sleep. Peaceful. Almost... happy.

Himiko smiles tiredly and nuzzles up against Tenko's shoulder, letting herself drift off again. She has done what she can, and Tenko is safe. That's all that matters.


End file.
